2026 edition
On 17 June 2025, the European Commission has launched the 2026 edition of the European Prize for Women Innovators.
The deadline of the calls is 25 September 2025, 17:00 CEST. For further information on how to apply, please check below, under "Funding opportunities".
Do you need some inspiration for applying?
Find out more about 2025's winners: EU Prize for Women Innovators 2025: the winners
About
The European Prize for Women Innovators is jointly awarded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the European Innovation Council (EIC). Through this collaboration, the EIT and EIC are showcasing a large pool of women innovators, offering more opportunities for trailblazers, and providing inspiring role models for women and girls everywhere.
The European Prize for Women Innovators celebrates the women entrepreneurs behind Europe's most game-changing innovations. The prize awards women from across the EU and countries associated to Horizon Europe, whose disruptive innovations are driving positive change for people and planet.
Since 2023, the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Institute for Innovation & Technology (EIT) have teamed up to create a bigger and bolder European Prize for Women Innovators, with no fewer than 9 prizes to be awarded.
The call is launched in accordance with the 2025 European Innovation Council (EIC) Work Programme and is managed by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).
Categories
There are three prize categories:
- In the EIC Women Innovators category, three prizes of EUR 100 000, EUR 70 000 and EUR 50 000 are awarded to the three highest-ranked applications;
- In the EIC Rising Innovators, three prizes of EUR 50 000, EUR 30 000 and EUR 20 000 are awarded to the three highest-ranked applications from promising ‘Rising Innovators’ under the age of 35.
- The EIT Women Leadership Award, awarded to exceptional women leaders from the EIT Community. The winner is awarded EUR 50 000, and two runners-up are awarded EUR 30 000 and EUR 20 000 respectively.
Eligible applicants can only apply to one category. The winners are chosen by an independent expert jury.
Who should apply
All applicants must comply with the following eligibility criteria to participate:
- The applicant must be a woman (Please remember you must apply as a natural person and not as a legal entity);
- The applicant must be legally established in an EU Member State, including overseas countries and territories (OCTs) or a country associated to Horizon Europe;
- The applicant must be the founder or co-founder of the company or organisation;
- The company or organisation must be established in an EU Member State including overseas countries and territories, (OCTs) or a country associated to Horizon Europe, and registered or incorporated at least two years before 1 January 2022;
- Applicants who have already received an EU or Euratom prize cannot receive a second prize for the same activities.
In addition to the above, those applying for the Rising Innovators category must be aged under 35 at the start of the call year. There is no age limit to apply for the Women Innovators category (or for the EIT Women Leadership category), though applicants eligible for several prize categories can only apply to one.
Award criteria
Eligible applications will be evaluated against 3 award criteria:
- Breakthrough innovation – the company or organisation founded or co-founded by the applicant is pioneering a breakthrough and disruptive innovation focusing, among others, on deep-tech and Science Technology Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) fields within the EU or countries associated to Horizon Europe.
- Impact – this innovation addresses a real need or challenge, with significant benefits for people and/or the planet.
- Inspiration – the applicant is an inspiring leader, who has played a pivotal role in the success of the company or organisation and is a role model empowering other women and girls in realising their full potential.
- 25 September 2025 (17:00 CET)Deadline for applications
- September 2025 – January 2026Evaluation
- January – March 2026Information on evaluation results/award
Guidelines for applicants
On 24 June 2025, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) organised an informative webinar on the European Prize for Women Innovators.
Did you miss it? The recording and presentation are available below:
Contact us
For more information, please contact us at EISMEA-WIP
ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (EISMEA-WIP[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) or eit-awardseit [dot] europa [dot] eu (eit-awards[at]eit[dot]europa[dot]eu).
You can also follow us on social media with the hashtag #WiPrizeEU.
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